Nearly 90 years after Amelia Earhart vanished during her attempt to fly around the world, and amid renewed political attention regarding her disappearance, a museum in her hometown continues to honor her legacy.
The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, which opened in 2023 in Atchison, Kansas, features more than a dozen exhibits and aims to “inspire all generations in the pursuit of flight,” according to the museum’s website.
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The museum’s centerpiece is “Muriel,” the world’s last remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E — which is identical to the plane Earhart flew on her fateful attempt to fly around the globe in 1937. Muriel is named after Earhart’s sister, Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey, the website notes.
Built in 1935, Muriel flew for Pan American Airways and later served U.S. commuters before falling into disrepair. It was later rescued by a pilot in California and was restored over three decades.
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“For 30 years, it was painstakingly restored, with the goal of flying it on the same world flight path as Amelia,” as noted on the website. “Sadly, health conditions prevented the flight.”
Muriel is surrounded by 14 interactive exhibits that “take visitors through Earhart’s adventurous life.” This includes her time growing up in Kansas to the height of her fame as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, according to the website.
Guests can step inside a full-scale replica of Muriel’s cockpit, hear the roar of the engine that powered her aircraft, try their hand at riveting, explore Amelia’s digitized scrapbook, experience a virtual reality flight simulator, discover accomplishments of other women in aviation, and more, the website notes.
The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum also hosts events and sells merchandise.
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President Donald Trump announced Friday that he would declassify and release government files related to Earhart and her final flight, saying the aviation pioneer’s story “has captivated millions for nearly a century.”
“Amelia made it almost three-quarters of the way around the world before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished—never to be seen again,” Trump wrote. “Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions. I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all government records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.”
The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
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